Faith Bacon (1910–1956) was an American burlesque dancer once heralded as “America’s Most Beautiful Dancer.” A principal in the Ziegfeld Follies and Earl Carroll’s Vanities, she is best remembered for the controversy surrounding the “fan dance”—a routine she performed nude, concealed only by large ostrich feather fans.
Her career was defined by her bitter rivalry with dancer Sally Rand. Although Bacon premiered her fan dance in 1930 to bypass decency laws, Rand performed a nearly identical act at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, achieving immense fame that eclipsed Bacon’s. She never regained her status as the routine’s originator in the public eye.
Her career went into a steep decline following a gruesome 1936 accident where she fell through a glass drum on stage, sustaining severe cuts that scarred her legs. Struggling with fading stardom, financial ruin, and alleged substance abuse, she found herself unable to secure work and in 1956, destitute and desperate in Chicago, her life came to an end when she jumped from a hotel window at the age of 46.
Faith's Place 